Continuous controlling mechanism for vehicles.



T. W. SCOTT.

CONTINUOUS CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. I9I5-.

Patented Jam 2, 1917.

trol here referred to may alone will operate, thereby fore the other contact shoe on THOMAS W. SCOTT, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND,

ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN TRAIN CONTINUOUS CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

Application filed March 23, 1915.

To all whom it may concewi:

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. Soon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Continuous Controlling Mechanisms for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved train controlling apparatus and has for its object to provide for the continuous control of a train or vehicle throughout its travel along the trackway, in distinction to control only at predetermined points. The conbe efiected by the actual cutting off of power and the application of the brakes in case of danger; it may control the operation of signals on the vehicle or it may be effected by the operation of signals, power and brakes.

In the preferred form of apparatus I employ both stop and signal mechanismand I provide an improved arrangment of circuits whereby when the vehicle leaves signal territory, as for example when being run into a round house or barn, the signal mechanism avoiding the inconvenience and annoyance of an automatic operation of the stop mechanism.

The invention is illustratedin the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1, illustrates diagrammatically an arrangement of the vehicle circuits and Fig. 2, diagrammatically illustrates an arrangement of track circuits for carrying out the inventive idea. I

In carrying the invention into practical effect I make use of-two contact shoes on the vehicle and an arrangement of main an bridging ramp rails along the road or trackway that will enable one contact shoe on the vehicle to engage abridging the vehicle becomes disengaged from a main ramp rail, thereby insuring that during the travel of the vehicle in a block or section at least one contact shoe will be in engagement with a main or a bridging ramp rail.

The devices and circuits on the vehicle will first be described, reference being made to Fig. l of the drawing. The vehicle is provided with a controlling device magnet be a switch or valve control magnet, and is also provided with two contact shoes 4 and 5 respectively. Each con- Specification of Letters Patent.

the other of the contact shoes 4 or and 21,-the heels ramp 'rail be- Patented J an. 2, 1917.

Serial No. 16,504.

tact shoe is mechanically connected. with a switch device,the switch device that -is actuated by the shoe 4, being designated 6, and that which is actuated by the shoe 5, is designated 7. Two contact plates '8 and 9 have position in the path of switch 4, while two other contact plates 10 and 11 are positioned in the path of switch 7. Contact plates 8 and 9 are connected with each other by a conductor or wire 12, while contact plate 9, has a connection 13, with one side of a source of current or a battery 14. The contact plate 11, of switch device 7, has connection with one side of controlling device magnet 3 by means of wires 15 and 16, and from said magnet, wires 17 and 18 extend to and connect with the other side of the current supply or battery 14.

Under normal running conditions one or 5 will be raised, consequently there will normally be one interru tion either between contact plates 8 and 9 or etween contact plates 10 and 11 so that current for electromagnet 3, can only pass from the current supply through the shoe switches tosa-id magnet when both con tact shoes are down. A relay 19, is provided on the vehicle and controls two armatures 20 of said armatures being shown connected by a wise 22, in the drawing for a purpose which will presently be understood. A front contact point 23, is provided for armature 20, and a wire 24, leads from said contact point and connects with wire 16, that leads to control magnet 3. The other side of control magnet 3, has connection with the current supply or battery 14, by means of wires 17 and 18. A wire 25 branches from wire 13, and extends to wire 22, at the heel end of armature 20, so that as long as relay 19 is energized and holds armature 20 up against contact point 23, current supply 14, and control magnet 3, will be kept in circuit and the control devices will be held by said magnet against operation.

The normal circuit for the control magnet 3, as long as relay 19, is energized, is from vehicle current supply 14, by wires 13, 25 and 22 to armature 20; then by wire 24 to control magnet 3 and return by wires 17 and 18 to current supply. Relay 19, is kept energized as long as either one of the contact shoes 4 or 5 is engaged with a main or a bridging ramp rail that'is energized or at least connected with a current supply, during occurs at times ofdanger, which tact point 37. a

conditions of safety ahead, as will presently be explained. If, therefore, either contact shoe is engaged with an energized main or bridging ramp rail it will continuously pick up a current which latter will flow by either wire 26 or 27, according to which shoe is engaged, to a wire'28, that connects with relay 19, and the return for such picked-up current is maintained by wire 29, that is grounded to the vehicle frame or to the axle 30, from which the current passes to a track rail, as will also presently be explained. It will thus be understood that during conditions of safety, one or the other of shoes 4 or 5 will constantly be engaged with an energized ramp rail and current will be picked up by the shoes and sent through relay 19, to keep the latter energized so as to hold armatures 20 and 21 up,-the former to maintain the circuit from the vehicle current supply through the control magnet 3. The vehicle is also provided with a clear signal device 31, and a danger signal device 32. The clear signal device is connected with a contact point 33, bymeans of a wire 34, and said contact point is energized by armature 21, at all times that relay 19, is energized which is as long as either shoe 4 or 5 has engagement with an energized ramp rail.

ires 35 and 36, connect the clear signal device with wire 18, that returns to vehicle It is thus to be understood that as long as relay 19, is energized by current picked up by either shoe, current from vehicle battery 14, will pass through and operate the clear signal device,-the circuit being from battery 14, by wires 13, 25 and 22, to armature 21; then by contact 33 and wire 34 to clear signal device 35;

then return by wires 35, 36 and 18 to battery.

The danger signal device 32, is connected with a contact point 37, by wire 38, which contact point will only be engaged by armature 21, when the latter is dropped by the denergization of relay 19. This engagement of armature 21, with contact37, only is when one or the other of the contact shoes rides up onto a ramp rail that is denergized, consequently by denergizing relay 19 and dropping armature 21 into engagement with concircuit will be formed from the'vehicle current supply 14, through the danger signal device 32, as follows: from current supply 14, by wires 25 and 22 to armature 21; through the latter, which will then be down, to contact 37; then by wires 38, to danger signal device 32 and return by wires 39, 36 and 18 to current supply, thus operating the danger signal device. The dropping of armature 21, fromcontact point 33 will at once cut out the clear signal device; Obviously, when relay 19, is deenergized because of dangerous conditions ahead, armature 20 cated. Another or bridging emme will drop from contact point 23, and thereby interrupt the circuit through the control device magnet 3, and thereby efiect an operation of the control device and produce a stop. When both contact shoes leave ramp rails, as might be the case when the vehicle is on some siding or entering a barn or round house, both shoes will drop and close the shoe-switches 8 and 9 and 10 and 11, whereupon the control device magnet will be energized by current from vehicle battery 14, and by a path that is independent of the relay and its armatures and operation of the control device will thereby be prevented but a circuit from the vehicle current supply through the danger signal device 32, will be formed so that the danger signal will be if a ramp rail wire is removed oil, the switches 6 and 7 would close and hold the magnet 3, energized, but adanger signal would be given in the cab so that the motorman or engineer would be warned of the disarrangement of his control apparatus.

To effect the operation of the devices and circuits on the vehicle as hereinbefore described novel features and arrangement of I track and ramp rail circuits and devices are necessary, as will now be explained, in connection with Fig. 2 of the drawing. The track rails 40 tions thatt are electrically separated from each other by means of insulation 42. Each track section is provided with a current supply by having its two rails connected ,by wires 43 and 44, with a transformer or directly to a source of current 45. These current supply connections are provided, referably near one end of each section, while at the other end of each section the rails are connected by wires 46 and 47, with an electromagnet 48. An armature 49, is provided 48, andwhen the armature is attracted by the magnet it engages a con tact 50, that is connected to one side of a ramp-rail transformer or current supply 51. The other side ofthis latter transformer or current'supply is connected by a wire .52, with the track rail 41. The heel of armature 49, is connected by a wire 53, with the main ramp rail 54, which in the present instance is shown as extending along the outer side of track rail 41, but may be otherwise 10 ramp rail 55, is the track rails and is so located as to be enga ed b one of the contact shoes on the vehic e be ore the other shoe on the vehicle disengages the main ramp rail 54. The particular location of the bridging ramp rail 55, is not essential except in the particular that as to be engaged by one contact shoe before the other shoe passes from engagement with the main ramp rail 54, and to retain engagement with such shoe until said other provided adjacent to and 41, are arranged in secshoe engages another main ramp rail 54. In the present instance I have elected to show the main ramp rails 54, at the outer side of track rail 41, so as to be engaged, say by contact shoe 4, while the bridging ramp rails 55, are shown at the outer side of track rail 40, to be engaged, say by contact shoe 5. I also prefer to arrange the two sets of ramp rails so that the end of a bridging ramp rail of one set will be lapped, so to speak but not in contact, with the end of a main ramp rail of the other set, and in this way before the shoe on one side of the vehicle passes from a main ramp rail 54, the shoe on the opposite side of the vehicle will engage a bridging ramp rail 55. Ramp rails 55, each have a wire connection 56, that taps wire 53, to the heel of an armature 49, and by this means both the main and bridging ramp rails 54 and 55, of a pair of ramps are connected to one side of the same transformer or current supply 51, while one track rail 41, has a con-' nection with the other side of the said transformer or current supply.,

' From the foregoing explanation it will be understood that by means of a staggered arrangement of main and bridging ramp rails, one to be engaged by one vehicle contact and the other to be engaged 'by another vehicle contact, a continuous engagement of one or the other of said vehicle shoes will result and as long as the ramp rail engaged has connection with a transformer or current supply 51,. by reason of armature 49, being held up, current will be picked up from thatramp rail by one of the shoes and sent through relay 19, on the vehicle to energize the latter and then return by wire 29' and axle 30, to track rail 41, and from the latter by wire 52, back to the transformer or current supply 51, thereby completing the contact current supply through the vehicle relay from trackway current as long as the track ahead is clear. v

The presence of a vehicle in one section will obviously cut OK or short circuit the current from the supply for that section and thereby deenergize the electro-magnet 48, of that section, whereupon armature 49, controlled by that deenergized magnet will drop from contact 50, and thereby cut ofi the current supply to both the main and bridging ramp rails 54 and 55, of the section next at the rear. \Vhen, therefore, a vehicle enters a section and one or the other contact shoe rides up onto a deenergized ramp rail, it fails to pick up current from that ramp rail with the result that relay magnet 19, on the vehicle will become denergized control magnet 3, will also become denergized; stop devices will operate and danger signal 32, will operate. When, however, the section ahead clears up the current will be again supplied to ramp rail and the relay 19, will at once pick up armatures 20 and 21, reestablish the clear signal and reset the control magnet 3, so that immediate operation of both stop and signals are effected in case of danger and an immediate operation of those devices is a ain efiected when the clearing up of a section takes place.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is,-

1. In a trackway controlling mechanism for vehicles the combination with the track rails formed into sections thatare insulated from each other, of a separate current supply connection for each section; a main ramp rail and a bridging ramp rail both for the same insulated track-rail section,-the bridging ramp of one section extending over into the next insulated section but being electrically disconnected from the ramp rails of said next section, and means for connecting and disconnecting a main and a bridging ramp rail for one insulated track section with a current independently of the main and bridging ramp rails of the other track sections.

2. In a controlling mechanism for vehicles the combination with a vehicle having a controlling device, two contact shoes and means for holding the controlling device in an inoperative position, of track rails formed 'into sections that are insulated from each other; a separate current supply for each section; a main ramp rail and a bridging ramp rail along the trackway,together being longer than the insulated section itself, the bridging ramp rail extending from one insulated sectiori over into the next insulated section but electrically disconnected from said next section, and means for connecting and disconnecting a main ramp an a bridging ramp of each section with and from their current supply and independently of other ramp rails.

3. In a controlling mechanism for vehicles the combination with the track rails formed into sections that are insulated from each other, of a separate current supply for each section; a main ramp rail and a bridging ramp rail for each insulated trackway section, he ramps of one section being disconnected from the ramps of other sections; means for simultaneously connecting and disconnecting one main ramp and one bridging ramp with and from a single source of current supply and independently of all other ramps; a vehicle having two contact shoes one to engage a main ramp and the other to engage a bridging ramp; controlling means on the vehicle including a vehicle current supply, and means controlled by current picked up from the main and bridging ramps for maintaining a connection between the controlling means and vehicle current supply.

4. In a controlling mechanism for vehicles the combination with a vehicle having a controlling device, of a current supply on the vehicle; two contact shoes on the vehicle; a shoe switch for each contact shoe; connections between the vehicle current supply and controlling device and independent of the shoe switches when one shoe is in an actuated position and connections from the current supply to the controlling device and including both shoe switches when both shoes are in the inoperative osition. m-

In testimony whereof I a X my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS W. SCOTT. Witnesses:

PORTER H. FLAUTT, BERTHA K. WALTER. 

